In 2014, our writers revealed their parenting fears; they shared their family's pastimes and discussed how to balance "me time" and family time; and they offered ideas and tips on fun and frugal family vacations and on how to make the most of indoor time with kids. The compilations of posts are a rich resource — I hope you will look through 2014's themes and articles below and get to know some of the writers!

Anyone can write for the Carnival of Natural Parenting, and you can write as few or as many times as you'd like throughout the year. You can read more about how to write for the Carnival as well as details on upcoming topics at our main Carnival page. Here are the topics for the next few months: In June, we'll be writing letters to ourselves; in July, we'll be sharing ideas for summer fun; and in later months we'll let our kids take over our blogs, we'll reveal some parental confessions, and we'll share traditions surrounding anniversaries. Topics are posted through January 2016 - come read more details at our main Carnival page.

Whether you write for or enjoy reading the articles written for the Carnival of Natural Parenting, or whether you are simply interested in learning more about natural parenting practices, we want you to join our community at the site born out of the Carnival: Natural Parents Network (NPN). NPN is a community that connects, informs, empowers, and inspires parents and parents-to-be. We are thankful for the larger NP community we interact with on NPN's website, Facebook page, and Twitter stream, and we're doubly thankful for the close-knit family of NPN volunteers — we have found true friends.

And for Carnival updates, be sure to look for the #CarNatPar hashtag on Twitter and follow the Twitter list of our #CarNatPar writers. On Facebook, you can get Carnival updates by "liking" the CarNatPar Fan Page.

We look forward to reading more from our writers — new and old — in 2015 and beyond.

I'd like to share with you a few highlights — and a few of my favorite things — from our 2014 Carnival posts.

Here are a few quick facts:

In the 11 months that we hosted CarNatPar in 2014 (we took October off), we had 75 different writers.

And in One Little Word for 2014 — Christy at Eco Journey In The Burbs has decided to focus on making things this year, which is what she loves, as long as she doesn't kill herself in the process.

February 2014:Parenting Fears:An Uneasy Truce — Homeschooler and recent convert to unschooling, Tam at tinsenpup shares just a few of the things she tries to keep in mind when fear and insecurity begin to take hold.

March 2014:Everyday Superheroes:It Starts With Truffula Trees And Tulips — Luschka of Diary of a First Child takes a hard look at the realities of her relationship with her mother, and through this post goes on a journey of discovery that ends in a surprise realisation for her. And Like Fire Engines — Tam at tinsenpup tells the story of the day she saw a surprising superhero lurking in the guise of her not entirely mild-mannered four-year-old daughter. And My Father, The Hero — Fathers are pretty amazing; find out why Christine at The Erudite Mom thinks hers is the bees knees.

April 2014:Family Pastimes:The Fab Five - Stages so Far — Laura from Pug in the Kitchen couldn't choose just one stage for this carnival and is sharing her top five favorite stages in the young lives of her son and daughter at Natural Parents Network.

July 2014:Family Vacations:Our Week in Rome: Inspiration and Craft Ideas for Parents, Teachers, and Caregivers — If anyone in your family is interested in learning about Ancient Rome, if you enjoy crafts, of if you're a parent looking for a fun staycation idea, check out Erin Yuki's post for a Roman-themed week of crafts, food, and fun at And Now, for Something Completely Different. And Favorite Family Vacation Recipe: Staying at Home — The best family vacation Laurie Hollman at Parental Intelligence could ever recommend requires minimal packing, no hotels, unrushed travel, easy meals to everyone’s taste without a bill, no schedules, everyone’s favorite interests, and three generations playing together.

September 2014:Home Tour:A Tour of Our Church — Garry at Postilius invites you virtually visit him in the 19th-century, one-room church where he lives with his spouse and two kids. And Our Life As Modern-Day Nomads — This family of five lives in 194 square feet of space — with the whole of North America as a back yard. Paige of Our Road Less Traveled guest posts at Natural Parents Network.

December 2014:Greatest Gifts:Gifts of love — Charlie at PeelingClementines recalls her favourite Christmas gift of all time and thinks about how to add this magic to her little one's first Christmas.

Obviously there were many months that I could not choose just one favorite, there were so many fabulous posts this year. To see which posts my cohost, Dionna of Code Name: Mama, loved, check out her version of the 2014 Year in Review.

And here is a complete list of all of our participants, with Facebook and Twitter links where applicable:

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Riding the rails with my husband, Crackerdog Sam, and our hobo kids, Mikko Lint Picker (born June 2007), Alrik Irontrousers (born May 2011), and Karsten (born October 2014). Trying every day to parent intentionally and with grace.